This invention relates to guiding and launching tubes for use in conjunction with archer bows and arrows.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a tubular guiding and launching device useable in conjunction with conventional bows and arrows but is particularly useful in launching much shorter arrows such as arrows of 3 or 4 inches in length.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore arrow launching tubes have been designed for attachment to somewhat unconventional bows which assist the archer in holding, launching and guiding an arrow through the tube in a controlled path of trajectory toward the target.
Some of these launching tubes were too short in length to provide even a small degree of guidance for a conventional length arrow. Others long enough to provide some guidance of the arrow were quite complicated consisting of a number of parts that would be expensive to fabricate and difficult to attach to a conventional bow without necessitating considerable alteration of the bow. These launching tubes required a large diameter bore in order for a broadhead hunting tip and the fletchings or feathers of the arrow to pass through the tube without excessive friction and damage to the same, thereby decreasing the degree of guidance the launching tube could provide for the flight of the arrow.
An important arrow guiding device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,645 by the inventor of the present invention partially overcomes the limitations of the earlier devices. This device, which is suitable for use with short or long arrows comprises a two-section tubular assembly that may be attached to a conventional bow. The longer of the two sections is detachable to facilitate carrying and storage. The guiding tube is slotted to provide clearance for a broadhead hunting tip and for the vertically-directed fletchings. There remain, however, opportunities for improvements. Detachment of the longer section is less convenient than might be desired. The device also fails to provide clearance for the horizontally-projecting fletchings, and the resulting interference between these fletchings and the guide tube produces an undesirable amount of drag which reduces the velocity of the arrow.